Sports
Jackets, Wings ready to bring state rivalry to Ohio Stadium
The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers play during the fourth quarter of a NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The second-largest crowd in NHL history is expected Saturday night when the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry moves to the ice for an NHL Stadium Series matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the host Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium.
More than 90,000 fans are projected for the contest that features two teams in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The NHL attendance record is 105,491 for the 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium that featured a 3-2 shootout victory by the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Red Wings.
The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is considered one of the most bitter in college football and has produced the eventual national champion each of the last two seasons. The most recent matchup on Nov. 30 at Ohio Stadium, which was won 13-10 by the Wolverines, featured a postgame brawl when Michigan players attempted to plant their flag at midfield and were confronted by Ohio State players. Police had to deploy pepper spray in an attempt to stop the melee.
So expect there to be a high-charged atmosphere for Saturday’s contest.
“These are hallowed grounds in Columbus, so to be out here and playing hockey is going to be neat,” Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly, who grew up in the Columbus suburb of Dublin attending Buckeyes football games at “The Shoe,” told NHL.com after surveying the rink layout earlier this week.
It will be the second half of a home-and-home between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings. Columbus, behind two goals by James van Riemsdyk and a goal by Kuraly, won the first one 5-2 on Thursday in Detroit.
The game has significant ramifications for the Eastern Conference playoff race. Detroit, fourth in the Atlantic Division, holds the first wild-card spot with 66 points while Columbus, fourth in the Metropolitan Conference, also moved up to 66 points with the win Thursday and holds the second wild-card spot.
“The games are very meaningful,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said prior to Thursday’s loss. “Outdoor just adds a lot more drama to it, but on Sunday when we all wake up, the actual hockey part of it — the points and what comes out of it — will be the most important.”
Detroit took a 1-0 lead on Alex DeBrincat’s 27th goal of the season 27 seconds into the second period on Thursday but Columbus answered with four consecutive goals, including two by van Riemsdyk, later in the period. J.T. Compher cut the Columbus lead to 4-2 with a power-play goal but Kirill Marchenko sealed the win with an empty-netter with 57 seconds to go.
“We had a lot of chances in the first period and didn’t get anything,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “Instead of getting frustrated, we used that for momentum.”
Boone Jenner, who missed the first 56 games of the season with a shoulder injury, had three assists for the Blue Jackets and now has five assists in his first three games back.
Compher, who had his sixth multi-point game of the season with a goal and an assist, starred for the University of Michigan before being drafted by Buffalo in the 2013 NHL Draft. He said he was looking forward to the rematch in Ohio Stadium.
“(Friday) is the day for fun — skating with the family, seeing the rink for the first time and enjoying it,” Compher said. “When we get to Saturday, it’s normal routine. We know what’s at stake and how important every point is, so when Saturday comes around it’ll be about executing our game plan to the best of our ability.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Uruguay arrive in Miami after travel delayed by permit issues
Nov 28, 2022; Lusail, Qatar; Uruguay defender Jose Gimenez (2) reacts following the loss against Portugal in the group stage match in the 2022 World Cup at Lusail Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-Imagn Images The Uruguay national team arrived in Miami late on Sunday after a travel ordeal ahead of its opening World Cup match against Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Uruguay pinned the blame on FIFA for their troubles flying from Mexico to Miami, yet they reportedly faced the threat of sanction if their head coach and captain could not make it to a mandatory press conference Sunday.
The original flight reportedly was not allowed to depart due to administrative issues, including some missing paperwork, and officials had to scramble to line up a new flight.
The Athletic reported that a member of the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) said FIFA was responsible for the traveling snafu. FIFA is in charge of all travel related to the 48-team World Cup.
Uruguay is training in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and held a practice on Sunday. When the traveling delegation reached the airport in Cancun, approximately 45 miles away, they learned the group was not authorized to enter the United States.
The AUF said that a second plane from South Florida was en route to pick up the squad, while players waited at a resort outside Cancun until its arrival.
“Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed,” the AUF said in a statement. “The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4.15 pm.”
FIFA later released a statement to the Daily Mail and other outlets.
“Due to an airline permitting error in Mexico, the Uruguay national team’s departure from Cancun to Miami was delayed,” the statement said. “The airline has apologized for the inconvenience caused. FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguay national team throughout their delay and worked alongside airport and operational partners to help expedite the process and minimize disruption to the team’s travel arrangements.”
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa and team captain Jose Maria Gimenez missed Sunday’s originally scheduled press conference in South Florida due to the issue. The team’s press conference was pushed back to 8 p.m. ET, and the coach and captain were in attendance.
“The trip went well, we made the most of it and saw it in a positive light,” Gimenez said in Spanish. “We took the chance to rest at the hotel (in Cancun).”
Bielsa was asked what sort of disruption the flight snafu caused his team.
“No, the flight doesn’t cause any complications,” Bielsa said in Spanish before changing the subject to his team’s preparation in both the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo and Playa del Carmen.
“In Montevideo, the players had constant obligations, but they also had family time, which I felt was necessary.”
Uruguay and Saudi Arabia will play their first match of Group H at Miami Gardens, Fla. The other members of the group, Spain and Cape Verde, will play Monday in Atlanta.
The match between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia is slated for 6 p.m. ET, giving them less than 24 hours to settle in before kickoff.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 5 Tar Heels top No. 16 W. Virginia, move on at MCWS
Jun 12, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Caden Glauber (27) pitches against the Mississippi Rebels during the ninth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images Gavin Gallaher hit a tiebreaking two-run triple during a three-run seventh inning to help No. 5 North Carolina produce a 5-2 victory over No. 16 West Virginia on Sunday night in Men’s College World Series play at Omaha, Neb.
Owen Hull had two hits and one RBI and Carter French also had two hits for the Tar Heels (52-12-1), who will continue on in winner’s bracket play on Wednesday.
Right-hander Walker McDuffie (9-3) pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for North Carolina before running into trouble in the ninth. Right-hander Caden Glauber struck out both batters he faced for his fifth save.
Armani Guzman had two hits and one RBI and Brodie Kresser had two hits for West Virginia (46-16), which committed two errors during North Carolina’s three-run seventh-inning uprising. The Mountaineers will oppose Troy on Tuesday in an elimination contest.
At the outset of the seventh, Mountaineers third baseman Tyrus Hall and second baseman Kresser booted routine grounders in a span of three batters to set up the Tar Heels.
Gallaher then made West Virginia pay with a shot into the gap in right-center off Maxx Yehl (9-3) to score French and Jake Schaffner and give North Carolina a 4-2 lead. Hull followed with a grounded single up the middle for another run.
The left-handed Yehl allowed five runs (two earned) and eight hits over seven-plus innings. He had seven strikeouts and walked one.
North Carolina right-hander Ryan Lynch gave up two runs and five hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two. McDuffie struck out four and gave up three hits and two walks.
Matt Ineich drew a one-out walk off McDuffie in the ninth and Kresser followed with a single to right-center. Glauber entered and struck out Ben Lumsden and fanned Hall looking to end it.
The Tar Heels scored twice in the first inning after loading the bases with one out. The first crossed when Erik Paulsen walked and the second came in on Cooper Nicholson’s infield out.
West Virginia got a run back in the third on Guzman’s RBI single. One inning later, a double-play grounder plated the tying run.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yan Diomande breakout star in Ivory Coast's opening win over Ecuador
June 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.; Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomande and Elye Wahi in action. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images PHILADELPHIA — In his first World Cup match, 19-year-old Yan Diomande announced himself to the world, and so did his youthful Ivory Coast side in a 1-0 victory over Ecuador to open their World Cup campaign on Sunday.
The RB Leipzig wide man and reigning Bundesliga Rookie of the Season was Man of the Match in the Group E encounter, no small feat against an opponent that entered with 19 matches unbeaten, including 11 in the gauntlet of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.
“We know all about Yan Diomande,” said his manager Emerse Fae. “He’s an impactful player. He’s hard to play for opponents. He delivered an excellent match.”
While Diomande’s brilliant service in the first half and dribbling in the second didn’t lead to the decisive goal — even after Amad Diallo’s historic 90th-minute winner — it was hard not to think about what could be ahead for a player valued at about $105 million, according to the website Transfermarkt.
“He’s a great striker and his added value is very clear,” said fellow Ivorian forward Elye Wahi. “We’re very happy for the (award) he notched up.”
Despite appearing only twice in World Cup qualifying for “Les Elephants,” Fae entrusted Diomande with a start on the right flank in the Ivory Coast’s first World Cup match since 2014 and first World Cup victory against South American opposition.
It quickly became clear why, as he terrorized Ecuador’s back line and Arsenal fullback Piero Hincapie in particular over the opening 45 minutes.
Diomande’s best sequence in that role came on 35 minutes, when he picked up a ball at midfield, quickly rounded Hincapie and sent in a cross that Nicolas Pepe couldn’t finish after attempting a second touch to get the ball on his favored left boot.
After switching to the left following Diallo’s 56th-minute insertion, he tried to solve Ecuador’s stubborn rear guard himself.
In the 58th minute, he somehow split John Yeboah, Alan Franco and Moises Caicedo to enter the left side of the penalty area before firing high.
He nearly achieved the feat again in the late stages, before the Ivorians finally took advantage of the attention he commanded, with Wilfried Singo surging up the opposite flank to send in a low cross and Diallo dispatching a clinical finish.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
Uruguay arrive in Miami after travel delayed by permit issues
No. 5 Tar Heels top No. 16 W. Virginia, move on at MCWS
